Social CRM versus Real Customer Service

Curt Finch has more than two decades of software development and distributed workforce management experience. In 1997, Curt created the world's first internet-based timesheet application and the foundation for the current Journyx product offering. Curt has a B.S. in Computer Science from Virginia Tech. His book, All Your Money, is available on Amazon.

Gartner analyst Michael Maoz recently blogged about the poor customer service he received from his communications provider. Despite the fact that this provider has 'a customer forum, and Twitter, and a Facebook page,' Maoz was unable to get his simple question answered after 20 minutes of run-around over the phone. Sound familiar?

We all know that social media and customer engagement are extremely important, but they can only be effective when working hand-in-hand with the right customer support processes. The most important thing for any customer, beyond being able to follow you on Twitter, is to be able to get answers and solutions whenever needed. At my company, Journyx, we are having a great time engaging with customers and interested parties over Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more, but at the end of the day, when someone has a question or a problem, they call us up. And when they do, real people answer the phone.

Real people who really care and speak in an understandable fashion make a big difference in customer service. What's your most recent nightmare story?